Brittney Nicole Joins SI Swimsuit for 60th Anniversary Issue

The 2023 Swim Search co-winner was photographed in Portugal for this year’s magazine.

Brittney Nicole was photographed by Ben Watts in Portugal. Swimsuit by Svn Swim. Necklaces by Cleopatra’s Bling. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

After being declared co-winner of the 2023 Swim Search last fall, Brittney Nicole was named a rookie for the forthcoming 2024 SI Swimsuit Issue. She recently traveled to Porto and the North, Portugal, alongside photographer Ben Watts for her incredible feature, which will be revealed in next month’s magazine.

“I just couldn’t believe it because we all became rookies at the same time,” Nicole told SI Swimsuit of learning she and her fellow six co-winners had each earned rookie status in the 60th anniversary issue. “It would have been great if one of us had been selected. We would have all been happy for whoever it was. But the fact that they selected all of us, it just feels like Christmas Day.”

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Nicole, who served in the U.S. Navy for eight years, is fitness enthusiast and certified personal trainer who found herself in Portugal a decade ago while in the military. She noted that her time in the Navy helped teach her discipline, a learned trait that has continued to served her well throughout her modeling career.

“I was in Portugal 10 years ago deployed and now I’m here 10 years later with Sports Illustrated [Swimsuit],” she shared while on location. “So your destination can change at any point and you just have to enjoy the journey. I really hope that people can see my photos and just get inspired by my story and how far I’ve come.”

Read more about Brittney Nicole’s 2024 SI Swimsuit photo shoot here.